Local / Global Shakespeare: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Local/Global Shakespeares:
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Module Code
- IL210-15 Level 5 (Intermediate)
- IL310-15 Level 6 (Year 3/Finalist)
When/Where
Spring Term
Mondays 14:00 - 16:00 TBC
Assessment
- Student Devised Assessment (50%)
- Individual Reflective Narrative (50%)
What is the module about?
William Shakespeare was a poet and playwright from Warwickshire.
He is also the most widely studied, performed and adapted creative writer in global history.
This new module asks: how and why did this happen? And what can *you* bring to this intercultural and intergenerational conversation?
Historically the university study of Shakespeare has been largely confined to English departments. In reality the subject is so vast and global that it exceeds the grasp of any single discipline. Shakespeare’s work has exerted an influence on – among others - philosophers, politicians, psychoanalysts, economists, musicians, environmentalists, advertisers, leadership coaches and freedom fighters. His work has also been the subject of research conducted by neuroscientists, linguists, lawyers, sociologists, historians, criminologists and semioticians.
This module draws on Warwick’s unique resources to offer the only undergraduate module of its kind in the UK. Enlisting experts from a range of disciplines across the University and the region, we will take an interdisciplinary approach that values all contributions and requires no previous experience of studying Shakespeare. We will also exploit Warwick’s geographical proximity to Stratford-upon-Avon and make two field trips to Shakespeare’s hometown: we will even have a class in the schoolroom in which Shakespeare himself learned to read and write.
What will the module cover?
We will take an interdisciplinary approach to explore some key questions:
- What was the cultural, educational and scientific environment in which Shakespeare lived four hundred years ago?
- How did Shakespeare’s grammar school education prepare him for a career in playwrighting?
- What view of humans and human nature emerges from his work? How is the non-human world represented?
- How did Shakespeare think our bodies, minds and emotions worked? Was he right?
- How does reading or seeing Shakespeare affect our brain chemistry?
- How did Shakespeare go from being a ‘local’ playwright in London at the turn of the seventeenth century to being a truly ‘global’ phenomenon in the twenty-first century?
- How have people adapted Shakespeare’s stories to suit their political and personal needs?
- How might we use Shakespeare to confront the current climate emergency or other pressing issues of the twenty-first century?
A range of experts will help us think through these questions.
Our set text will be The Tempest (1611), Shakespeare’s last solo-authored play and perhaps his most mysterious. It has been interpreted as: a Christian story of forgiveness and redemption; an autobiography of the playwright; a parable of colonialism and study of the master/slave relationship; a warning about the dangers of scientific knowledge; a study of the sinister effects of AI and surveillance culture.
The module is bookended by two sessions on ‘Shakespeare and Us/You’: each section will focus on what each student’s experience, heritage, discipline/s might bring to the vast field that we call ‘Shakespeare’.
We will ask:
What has Shakespeare brought to your discipline?
What does your discipline bring to Shakespeare?
1) Individual Reflective Narrative (50%)
This piece of writing invites you to reflect on your learning during the module, identifying and analysing key moments in your interdisciplinary encounters with Shakespeare (1500 words).
2) Student Devised Assessment (50%)Your chance to develop your own project in relation to one or more of the module's themes. You will be guided in this by the module convenor, but there is no limit to your options. You might consider, for example:
- An outline for a modern adaptation of a Shakespeare play (for e.g. film, web series, theatre, radio, etc)
- A 10-min video presentation on the aspect of the module that you found most exciting
- A design for a self-guided walk around Stratford-on-Avon based on surprising interdisciplinary connections relating to Shakespeare and/or the town
Learning Outcomes
See module catalogue.
Please select:
IL210-15 (Intermediate)Link opens in a new window
How to apply
Complete our online form to request your place.
Once IATL has confirmed you have been allocated a place, follow your home department's procedure to register.
Find out how this module relates to IATL Strategy
